Syllabus
English 4810/5810 Film Studies, Spring 2023
11:00-11:50 a.m., Arts & Sciences 366
Professor
Dr. Alex E. Blazer
478.445.0964
Office Hours: MW 12:00-1:15 p.m. and MW 5:15-5:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 330, appointment preferred
This film class will survey the theory and interpretation of classic, contemporary, mostly American, and mostly narrative film from a variety of genres including film noir, science fiction, western, and cult films. We will refer to Michael Ryan and Melissa Lenos's An Introduction to Film Analysis to familiarize ourselves with film elements, close viewings, and general critical approaches to film. We will learn about theories of film in Leo Braudy and Mashall Cohen's Film Theory & Criticism. By the end of the course, students will demonstrate understandings of film techniques, film genre, and film theory. Undergraduate assignments include an article summary, a scene analysis, a genre paper or theoretical paper, a research paper, and an exam. Graduate student assignments include an annotated bibliography and teaching presentation, a theoretical paper, a book review, and a research paper. This course's topics include:
- Key films in American and/or global cinema;
- Key film genres, such as film noir, screwball comedy, science fiction, western, avant-garde, documentary.
- Elements of film technique;
- Theoretical approaches to film, such as formalist theory, auteur theory, genre studies, screen theory, psychoanalytic film theory, and feminist film theory;
- The social, political, and historical background of key films and film genres;
This course's outcomes include:
- Distinguish the aesthetic, social, and political backgrounds of key films;
- Identify selected film genres by their content and form;
- Understand a variety of theoretical approaches to film;
- Apply several of these theoretical approaches in closely reasoned and well supported and documented analyses and interpretations of selected films;
- Approach any new film with a set of critical habits that enable understanding of both content and form.
required books (Amazon or GCSU Bookstore)
Braudy and Cohen, eds., Film Theory and Criticism, 8th ed.
Ryan and Lenos, An Introduction to Film Analysis, 2nd ed.
required films (availability)
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Act of Killing (Theatrical Cut)
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
Casablanca
Un Chien Andalou
Citizen Kane
Cleo from 5 to 7
Do the Right Thing
Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
The Kiss
The Kiss in the Tunnel
Man with a Movie Camera
Modern Times
Opera
Orlando
Out of the Past
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
A Trip to the Moon
Vertigo
recommended book (Amazon or GCSU Bookstore)
Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 9th ed.
Gocsik, Monahan, and Barsam, Writing about Movies, 5th ed.
recommended television show (availability)
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
Assignments and Grade Distribution
4810 Undergraduate Assignments
article summary, 5%
You will sign up to summarize a theoretical article in a 2-3 page informal paper and informal presentation.
scene analysis paper and presentation, 15%
You will pair up to analyze a 2-3 minute film scene in a 5-6 page formal paper and 7-10 minute formal presentation.
genre paper, 20%
You will research a genre or subgenre not covered in class and write a 5-6 page paper arguing how a film not covered in class fits into and transforms the genre.
research paper, 30%
You will write an 8-10 page research paper on a film or film issue.
exam, 30%
The 10-12 page take-home essay exam will test you on the film techniques, film theory, and films covered in class. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
5810 Graduate Assignments
annotated bibliography and presentation, 15%
You will sign up to compile an annotated bibliography of an assigned fim and teach the class the film.
theoretical paper, 25%
In an 8-10 page paper, you will compare and contrast two theoretical articles covered in class.
book review, 25%
In an 8-10 page paper, you will summarize and evaluate, appreciate and interrogate, a book of film criticism.
research paper, 35%
You will write a 12-15 page research paper on a film or film issue and present your work-in-progress paper to the class. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
Technology
We will use the course site for the syllabus schedule and assignment prompts; supporting documents include an attendance record, a course grade calculation spreadsheet, FAQ, a GeorgiaVIEW walkthrough, a guide to literary analysis, a research methods guide, and paper templates. We will use GeorgiaVIEW for assignment submission and the course packet; if you experience technical issues with GeorgiaVIEW, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@gcsu.edu or 478.445.2520. Check your university email for course-related messages. Use an online backup or cloud storage service to not only save but also archive versions of your work in case of personal computer calamities.
Attendance
Because this liberal arts course values contemporaneous discussion over fixed lecture, regular attendance is required. In courses that meet two days per week, any student who misses seven or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will be dropped from the course and fail. In courses that meet three days per week, any student who misses eleven or more classes for any reason will be dropped from the course and fail. In courses that meet two days per week, there will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond three; in courses that meet three days per week, there will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond five. I suggest you use your skip days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies, consistently leaving class early, texting, and web surfing will be treated as absences. Unexcused absences include work, family obligations, and scheduled doctor's appointments. Excused absences include family emergency, medical emergency, religious observance, and participation in a college-sponsored activity. If you have a medical condition, extracurricular activity, or job that you anticipate will cause you to miss more than four days of class, I suggest you drop this section. The university absence policy can be found here. You can check your class attendance record here.
MLA Style and Length Requirements
Part of writing in a discipline is adhering to the field's style guide. While other disciplines use APA or Chicago style, literature and composition follows MLA style. Assignments such as in-class exams, discussion board responses, informal/journal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted; however, formal assignments and take-home exams must employ MLA style. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following three categories, for a possible one letter grade deduction total: 1) margins, header, and heading, 2) font, font size, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. A formal paper or take-home exam will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page length (not including Works Cited page) while implementing 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, and 1" margins. Each additional page short of the minimum requirement will result in an a additional one-third letter grade penalty. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by referring to the MLA style checklist. Feel free to use these templates that are preformatted to MLA style.
Late Assignments
We're all busy with multiple classes and commitments, and adhering to deadlines is critical for the smooth running of the course. There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I give short extensions if you request one for a valid need at least one day before the assignment is due. I will inform you via email if I cannot open an electronically submitted assignment; however, your assignment will be considered late until you submit it in a file I can open. Because your completion of this course's major learning outcomes depends on the completion of pertinent assignments, failing to submit an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days of its due date may result in failure of the course. Failing to submit a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date may result in failure of the course.
Academic Honesty
The integrity of students and their written and oral work is a critical component of the academic process. The Honor Code defines plagiarism as "presenting as one's own work the words or ideas of an author or fellow student. Students should document quotes through quotation marks and footnotes or other accepted citation methods. Ignorance of these rules concerning plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the professor who made the assignment." The Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog define academic dishonesty as "Plagiarizing, including the submission of others’ ideas or papers (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained) as one’s own. When direct quotations are used in themes, essays, term papers, tests, book reviews, and other similar work, they must be indicated; and when the ideas of another are incorporated in any paper, they must be acknowledged, according to a style of documentation appropriate to the discipline" and "Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course," among other false representations. As plagiarism is not tolerated at GCSU, "since the primary goal of education is to increase one's own knowledge," any student found guilty of substantial, willful plagiarism or dishonesty may fail the assignment and the course. This course uses plagiarism prevention technology from TurnItIn. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Writing Center
Writing consultants will work with any student writer working on any project in any discipline. To learn more about Writing Center locations, hours, scheduling, and services, please visit https://www.gcsu.edu/writingcenter. Send questions to writing.center@gcsu.edu.
Required Syllabus Statements
Additional statements regarding the Religious Observance Policy, Assistance for Student Needs Related to Disability, Student Rating of Instruction Survey, Academic Honesty, Student Use of Copyrighted Materials, Electronic Recording Policy, Academic Grievance or Appeals, and Fire Drills can be found here.
COVID-19 Statement
The WHO recommends getting vaccinated to protect yourself against COVID-19 ("Getting Vaccinated") and wearing a mask if COVID-19 is spreading in your community ("When and How to Use Masks"). The CDC COVID Data Tracker assesses community transmission. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, stay home and contact Student Health Services. If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home and contact Student Health Services. GCSU has a decision path for students. Do not attend class while symptomatic or testing positive. During isolation, retrieve class notes from a classmate and consult with me about make up work. Absences due to isolation will be considered excused if appropriate documentation from Student Health Services or Academic Advising is provided. If you continue to test positive after the date the university gave you for an excused absence, your positive test counts as an excused absence. However, any absence beyond seven class periods for a class that meets two days per week or eleven for a class that meets three days per week, regardless of excuse, will be considered excessive and result in the student being dropped from the course and failing.
- Read articles and view films before they are scheduled to be discussed in class.
- FTC denotes Braudy and Cohen's Film Theory & Criticism. IFA indicates Ryan and Lenos's An Introduction to Film Analysis. GeorgiaVIEW refers to the course packet. Check film availability here.
- This schedule is subject to change, so check back in class and online for possible revisions.
Week 1 |
M, 1-9 |
origins: The Kiss (Edison, 1896, 1 min) origins: Employees Leaving the Lumière Factory (Lumière, 1895, 1 min) origins: Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (Lumière, 1896, 1 min) origins: The Kiss in the Tunnel (Smith, 1899, 1 min) origins: A Trip to the Moon (Méliès, 1902, 12 min) |
W, 1-11 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, Introduction (IFA 1-28) (GeorgiaVIEW) elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Composition" (IFA 29-46) (GeorgiaVIEW) surrealist film: Un Chien Andalou (Buñuel, 1929, 16 min) |
|
F, 1-13 |
theory: Bazin, from What Is Cinema? (FTC 126-44) (GeorgiaVIEW) theory: Arnheim, from Film as Art (FTC 144-7) (GeorgiaVIEW) recommended close viewing: Ryan and Lenos, "High and Low" (IFA 147-59) |
|
Week 2 |
M, 1-16 |
No Class: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday |
W, 1-18 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Camera Work" (IFA 47-69) experimental, silent, documentary film: Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929, 68 min) |
|
F, 1-20 |
theory: Baudry, "The Apparatus: Metapsychological Approaches to the Impression of Reality in Cinema" (FTC 148-67) theory: Baudry, "Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus" (FTC 217-27) recommended close viewing: Ryan and Lenos, "The Shining" (IFA 160-71) |
|
Week 3 |
M, 1-23 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Editing" (IFA 70-86) silent film: Modern Times (Chaplain, 1936, 87 min) |
W, 1-25 |
theory: Metz, from Film Language (FTC 54-60) theory: Harman, "Semiotics and the Cinema: Metz and Wollen" (FTC 61-9) |
|
F, 1-27 |
drama/film à clef: Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941, 119 min) recommended close viewing: Ryan and Lenos, "In the Mood for Love" (IFA 172-81) |
|
Week 4 |
M, 1-30 |
theory: Pudovkin, from Film Technique (FTC 6-11) theory: Eisenstein, from Film Form (FTC 12-40) recommended clip: Odessa Steps Scene from Battleship Potemkin |
W, 2-1 |
romantic drama: Casablanca (Curtis, 1941, 102 min) |
|
F, 2-3 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Color, Light, and Sound" (IFA 87-100) theory: Prince, "The Discourse of Pictures: Iconicity and Film Studies" (FTC 70-88) theory: Caroll, from Mystifying Movies (FTC 166-82) recommended close viewing: Ryan and Lenos, "Vagabond" (IFA 182-93) |
|
Week 5 |
M, 2-6 |
theory: Sarris, "Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962" (FTC 400-3) theory: Wollen, from Signs and Meaning in the Cinema (FTC 404-20) |
W, 2-8 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Art Direction" (IFA 101-9) film noir: Out of the Past (Tourneur, 1947, 97 min) recommended theory: Schrader, "Notes on Film Noir" (FTC 515-25) |
|
F, 2-10 |
theory: Schatz, from The Genius of the System (FTC 458-62) theory: Christensen, from America's Corporate Art: The Studio Authorship of Hollywood Motion Pictures" (FTC 463-72) recommended close viewing: Ryan and Lenos, "Arrival" (IFA 194-98) |
|
Week 6 |
M, 2-13 |
before class watch Jeanne Dielman (0:00:00-1:51:00) in class screening: Jeanne Dielman (1:51:00-2:36:00) |
W, 2-15 |
in class screening: Jeanne Dielman (2:36:00-3:21:00) |
|
F, 2-17 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Narrative and Narration" (IFA 110-27) slice of life: Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Akerman, 1975, 201 min) |
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Week 7 |
M, 2-20 |
|
W, 2-22 |
theory: Wood, "Ideology, Genre, Auteur" (FTC 526-36) |
|
F, 2-24 |
theory: Comolli and Narboni, "Cinema/Ideology/Criticism" (FTC 594-601) |
|
Week 8 |
M, 2-27 |
elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Metaphor, Structure, Character, Motif" (IFA 128-34) French New Wave: Cleo from 5 to 7 (Varda, 1962, 90 min) |
W, 3-1 |
theory: Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (FTC 620-31) theory: Modleski, from The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock and Feminist Theory" (FTC 632-44) |
|
F, 3-3 |
psychological thriller: Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958, 128 min) |
|
Week 9 |
M, 3-6 |
theory: Braudy, from The World in a Frame (FTC 477-94) theory: Altman, from Film/Genre (FTC 495-514) elements: Ryan and Lenos, "Film Style: Realism and Expressionism" (IFA 135-44) |
W, 3-8 |
spaghetti western: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Leone, 1966, 161 or 177 min) |
|
F, 3-10 |
theory: Williams, "Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess" (FTC 537-51) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Historical Criticism: Gold Diggers of 1933" (IFA 201-8) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Psychological Criticism: The Silence of the Lambs" (IFA 209-17) |
|
Week 10 |
M, 3-13 |
No Class: Spring Break |
W, 3-15 |
No Class: Spring Break |
|
F, 3-17 |
No Class: Spring Break |
|
Week 11 |
M, 3-20 |
theory: Clover, from Men, Women and Chainsaws (FTC 552-62) theory: Freeland, "Feminist Frameworks for Horror Films" (FTC 563-79) |
W, 3-22 |
theory: Haskell, from From Reverance to Rape" (FTC 424-37) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Gender Criticism: Mildred Pierce" (IFA 226-34) |
|
F, 3-24 |
||
Week 12 |
M, 3-27 |
theory: Metz, "Aural Objects" (FTC 259-62) theory: Doane, "The Voice in the Cinema: The Articulation of Body and Space" (FTC 275-87) |
W, 3-29 |
science fiction: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968, 161 min) |
|
F, 3-31 |
Writing Day: Bring Your Laptops |
|
Week 13 |
M, 4-3 |
theory: Plantinga, "Notes on Spectator Emotion and Ideological Film Criticism" (FTC 374-94) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Ideological Criticism: Working Girl" (IFA 218-25) |
W, 4-5 |
cult film, midnight movie: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Sharman, 1975, 100 min) recommended resource: Audience Participation Script |
|
F, 4-7 |
theory: Dyer, from Stars (FTC 445-57) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Political Criticism: Apocalypse Now" (IFA 242-8) |
|
Week 14 |
M, 4-10 |
theory: Bordwell, "The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice" (FTC 580-88) theory: Andrew, from Concepts in Film Theory (FTC 330-9) |
W, 4-12 |
Dyer, from White (FTC 660-71) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Critical Race Criticism: Falling Down & Get Out" (IFA 235-41) |
|
F, 4-14 |
art film, film adaptation: Orlando (Potter, 1992, 93 min) recommended novel: Woolf, Orlando |
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Week 15 |
M, 4-17 |
theory: Diawara, "Black Spectatorship: Problems of Identification" (FTC 672-80) theory: hooks, "The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators" (FTC 681-93) |
W, 4-19 |
drama: Do the Right Thing (Lee, 1989, 120 min) |
|
F, 4-21 |
theory: Shohat and Stam, from Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media (FTC 840-859) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Poststructuralist Criticism: The Godfather" (IFA 249-56) |
|
Week 16 |
M, 4-24 |
theory: Chow, "Film and Cultural Identity" (FTC 885-92) |
W, 4-26 |
theory: Belton, "The World in the Palm of Your Hand: Agnes Varda, Trinh T. Minh-ha, and the Digital Documentary" (FTC 744-56) documentary: The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer, 2012, 114 min or 167 min) |
|
F, 4-28 |
theory: Dissanayake, "Issues in World Cinema" (FTC 905-14) critical approach: Ryan and Lenos, "Scientific Criticism: The Searchers" (IFA 257-66) |
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Finals |